1. Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
Does he expect all his Ministers to comply with paragraphs 2.50 to 2.96 of the Cabinet Manual; if not, why not?
Hon BILL ENGLISHDoes he expect all his Ministers to comply with paragraph 2.54 of the Cabinet Manual, which states: “accepting additional payment for doing anything that could be regarded as a ministerial function is not permissible” and “accepting payment for any other activities requires the prior approval of the Prime Minister”; if so, in what cases has he approved Ministers accepting payment for such activities?
The answer to the first question is yes, and the answer to the second one is that I cannot tell the member, as I do not have that advice here.
Does he believe that the Minister of Local Government upheld the highest standards as required by section 2.53 of the Cabinet Manual when he invited local government councillors to a breakfast called “The Future of Local Government Breakfast” in his capacity as Minister of Local Government, with all cheques, at $45 a head, to be made out to the ACT Party?
My understanding is that the Cabinet Office does not have concerns about this situation, but any questions of detail should be directed to the Minister, who, I understand, has explained the circumstances.
Is he aware that the Minister of Local Government said on Checkpoint last night that the Christchurch breakfast is the only time he has used his title as Minister to attract paying customers to hear him speak in his capacity as Minister, but contradicted that statement when he spoke to Susan Wood on Newstalk ZB and said that he had had meetings like this all around the country before, and is he aware of any such other meetings being held?
The member will be aware that whether MPs are Ministers or not they take part in fundraising activities. In respect of this particular activity, which I understand has not actually occurred yet, the Cabinet Office has no concerns.
Carol BeaumontIs he aware his Minister of Consumer Affairs, Heather Roy, is holding a similar breakfast in her ministerial capacity to talk about her plan to review consumer legislation, with all cheques going into the same bank account that Mr Hide is using to build the ACT Party campaign fund; if so, what is he going to do about this Minister’s behaviour?
As I said before, all Ministers are expected to comply with the Cabinet Manual and there has been no suggestion that they have not.
When the Prime Minister said that he would be operating a “one strike and you’re out” policy for his Ministers, did he establish the standard of ethical performance he expected from his Ministers, and did it exclude arranging private financial affairs to get as much money out of the taxpayers as possible, using their positions as Ministers to raise money for political campaigns, leaking commercially sensitive information to competitors in a bidding process, and releasing private information about people who question Government policy?
That is just a bit rich, coming from Labour. That member knows that politicians attend fund-raisers all the time, and that is fine as long as everyone is clear about the basis on which they are attending.
Would he expect a Minister to stand aside if the Auditor-General announced a formal inquiry into his or her behaviour, and will he require the Minister of Finance to stand down if such an inquiry is instigated against him?
I seek leave to table a breakfast invitation from the Minister of Consumer Affairs to raise funds for the ACT Party, and, at $35 a head, it is a real bargain, compared with—
Mr SPEAKERI will seek leave for that course of action in a moment, but I stress to the member that she must not add that kind of comment when she is seeking leave. That is not allowed. However, leave has been sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection.
Hon Rodney HideI am on my feet and all members will cease interjecting. I accept that the honourable member was provoked while he stood to ask his supplementary question, but he must not do that, either. I will not allow it again.
Could the Prime Minister confirm that when Ministers in this Government attend public meetings, they need to ensure that more than four people will turn up, so that they do not end up in the very embarrassing situation that Labour leader Phil Goff had in Rotorua when the local chamber of commerce could sell only four tickets, with one of those being sold to Steve Chadwick, and, not surprisingly, the event had to be cancelled?
It is quite possible that Steve Chadwick bought all the tickets, because she takes her job as a whip seriously. But I can advise the member—